Chapter 3 of The Forgotten Planet is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Forgotten Planet is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He felt the web tremble again. To the spider Burl's movements meant that its poison had not taken full effect. Another sting seemed to be necessary. This time it would not insert its sting into the quiescent tarantula, but where there was still life. It would send its venom into Burl.
Chapter 3 of The Forgotten Planet is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
the wood cut from a tree burl or outgrowth; often used decoratively in veneer
From this reading “To the spider Burl's movements meant that its poison had not taken full effect.”
put or introduce into something
From this reading “This time it would not insert its sting into the quiescent tarantula, but where there was still life.”
not active or activated
From this reading “This time it would not insert its sting into the quiescent tarantula, but where there was still life.”
predatory arachnid with eight legs, two poison fangs, two feelers, and usually two silk-spinning organs at the back end of the body; they spin silk to make cocoons for eggs or traps for prey
From this reading “To the spider Burl's movements meant that its poison had not taken full effect.”
cause a sharp or stinging pain or discomfort
From this reading “Another sting seemed to be necessary.”
large southern European spider once thought to be the cause of tarantism (uncontrollable bodily movement)
From this reading “This time it would not insert its sting into the quiescent tarantula, but where there was still life.”
toxin secreted by animals; secreted by certain snakes and poisonous insects (e.g., spiders and scorpions)
From this reading “It would send its venom into Burl.”
an intricate network suggesting something that was formed by weaving or interweaving
From this reading “He felt the web tremble again.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
anew
From this reading He felt the web tremble again.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading Another sting seemed to be necessary.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Another sting seemed to be necessary.
the wood cut from a tree burl or outgrowth; often used decoratively in veneer
From this reading It would send its venom into Burl.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To the spider Burl's movements meant that its poison had not taken full effect.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading This time it would not insert its sting into the quiescent tarantula, but where there was still life.
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading To the spider Burl's movements meant that its poison had not taken full effect.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading He felt the web tremble again.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading To the spider Burl's movements meant that its poison had not taken full effect.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading To the spider Burl's movements meant that its poison had not taken full effect.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He felt the web tremble again.
put or introduce into something
From this reading This time it would not insert its sting into the quiescent tarantula, but where there was still life.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading This time it would not insert its sting into the quiescent tarantula, but where there was still life.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading This time it would not insert its sting into the quiescent tarantula, but where there was still life.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading To the spider Burl's movements meant that its poison had not taken full effect.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading This time it would not insert its sting into the quiescent tarantula, but where there was still life.
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading To the spider Burl's movements meant that its poison had not taken full effect.
plural of “movement” — a change of position that does not entail a change of location
From this reading To the spider Burl's movements meant that its poison had not taken full effect.
absolutely essential
From this reading Another sting seemed to be necessary.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading To the spider Burl's movements meant that its poison had not taken full effect.
spoil as if by poison
From this reading To the spider Burl's movements meant that its poison had not taken full effect.
not active or activated
From this reading This time it would not insert its sting into the quiescent tarantula, but where there was still life.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Another sting seemed to be necessary.
cause to go somewhere
From this reading It would send its venom into Burl.
predatory arachnid with eight legs, two poison fangs, two feelers, and usually two silk-spinning organs at the back end of the body; they spin silk to make cocoons for eggs or traps for prey
From this reading To the spider Burl's movements meant that its poison had not taken full effect.
not in physical motion
From this reading This time it would not insert its sting into the quiescent tarantula, but where there was still life.
cause a sharp or stinging pain or discomfort
From this reading Another sting seemed to be necessary.
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading To the spider Burl's movements meant that its poison had not taken full effect.
large southern European spider once thought to be the cause of tarantism (uncontrollable bodily movement)
From this reading This time it would not insert its sting into the quiescent tarantula, but where there was still life.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading To the spider Burl's movements meant that its poison had not taken full effect.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He felt the web tremble again.
in or at that place or location
From this reading This time it would not insert its sting into the quiescent tarantula, but where there was still life.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This time it would not insert its sting into the quiescent tarantula, but where there was still life.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading This time it would not insert its sting into the quiescent tarantula, but where there was still life.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To the spider Burl's movements meant that its poison had not taken full effect.
move or jerk quickly and involuntarily up and down or sideways
From this reading He felt the web tremble again.
toxin secreted by animals; secreted by certain snakes and poisonous insects (e.g., spiders and scorpions)
From this reading It would send its venom into Burl.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This time it would not insert its sting into the quiescent tarantula, but where there was still life.
an intricate network suggesting something that was formed by weaving or interweaving
From this reading He felt the web tremble again.
in or at the place that
From this reading This time it would not insert its sting into the quiescent tarantula, but where there was still life.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading This time it would not insert its sting into the quiescent tarantula, but where there was still life.
Chapter 3 of The Forgotten Planet by Murray Leinster holds 417 sentences, grouped into 84 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 3 holds 417 sentences of The Forgotten Planet, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Forgotten Planet by Murray Leinster exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 417 sentences, grouped into 84 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 3 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading The Forgotten Planet by Murray Leinster on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4157 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41637 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #41637, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 346 minutes of reading across 832 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Forgotten Planet section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Forgotten Planet to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Forgotten Planet, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
